Cacao Wine?

[cobraboy]

Maybe this has been around for a while, but it's new to me.

We tour an organic cacao processor and plantation in Hato Mayor on our MotoCaribe East Tour. Very interesting to say the least.

This last tour the processor had a new product to sell: Cacao Wine.

So everyone in ther group bought some, mainly as novelties.

Keep in mind that fermented cacao doesn't smell like cocoa or chocolate. Nor does the wine. The best description I can make is it tastes and smells somewhat like sherry. So my bottle will become cooking sherry, since I can't find any in the DR.

 

[Fulano2]

What is cooking sherry? Never heard of that. Tio Pepe but this country asks 1000 (!) Pesos for a bottle.

 

[Riva_31]

What is cooking sherry? Never heard of that. Tio Pepe but this country asks 1000 (!) Pesos for a bottle.

Yes, that exist, also in El Seibo a group of women produce a lot things from organic cacao including wine.

 

[Chirimoya]

What is cooking sherry? Never heard of that. Tio Pepe but this country asks 1000 (!) Pesos for a bottle.

Inexpensive sherry used in dishes like risotto or champiñones al Jerez. I don't mind using Tio Pepe because you only need a tiny splash.

I would like to try cacao wine. I've had cacao tea which is "something almost, but not quite entirely unlike tea" or chocolate for that matter, but I quite liked it.

 

[cobraboy]

Inexpensive sherry used in dishes like risotto or champiñones al Jerez. I don't mind using Tio Pepe because you only need a tiny splash.

I would like to try cacao wine. I've had cacao tea which is "something almost, but not quite entirely unlike tea" or chocolate for that matter, but I quite liked it.

I use sherry in French onion soups, and numerous shrimp dished, has a more pronounced flavor than white wines...

 

[Chirimoya]

Yes, it makes all the difference in onion soup. I must get hold of some sherry or indeed this wine.

 

[Tom F.]

There are a number of groups of women around the country who make cacao wine. All are rural based and not in the cities. The group in Hato Mayor is a fairly long drive past the city. Never met the El Siebo group but there is one in Yamasa, Joba Arriba just outside of Gaspar Hernandez, two groups near Altamira, one near Los Naranjos outside of Castillo and another in Loma de Jaya outside of SFM. There may be others but these are the ones I know about. I met Volker Lehman in the late 80's while in the Peace Corps. Volker worked with a German development group and was focused on developing primarily wines and marmalade from cacao with these women groups connected to the larges cacao cooperative in the county. It partially developed into some of what certified them as fair-trade. This support structure does not exist today and these groups mostly operate sola.

The wine in made by fermenting roasted cacao nibs. A few years back I did a tasting comparison with a group of people with cacao wine from about 5 of these women groups. The difference in quality was very stark with the biggest problem is some turn too much into vinegar. The women in Hato Mayor had the best product from out tasting where there was a nice cacao aroma to the wine. The strength and sweetness varied considerably. The group of women further in from Altamira have a nice cacao wine and many other fruit and spice flavors. Very interesting to taste and if I remember, mango was my favorite.

I'm sure things have changed some in the last 6-7 years since I visited. I also started asking people around the campo and you would be surprised how many are making their own hooch. This is mostly made with either corn or cana. Some ferment for a month or two and others more a year or more. It seems to be sort of a Xmas tradition for those who make it.

 

[Fulano2]

Yes, that exist, also in El Seibo a group of women produce a lot things from organic cacao including wine.

I know, but that’s not sherry. There is only one place in the world where they are able to produce sherry, Jerez de la Frontera.

 

[Fulano2]

Yes, it makes all the difference in onion soup. I must get hold of some sherry or indeed this wine.

I always, from childhood on because my father used to do it splash some sherry in any soup. Even in salcocho o sancocho.

 

[Fulano2]

There are a number of groups of women around the country who make cacao wine. All are rural based and not in the cities. The group in Hato Mayor is a fairly long drive past the city. Never met the El Siebo group but there is one in Yamasa, Joba Arriba just outside of Gaspar Hernandez, two groups near Altamira, one near Los Naranjos outside of Castillo and another in Loma de Jaya outside of SFM. There may be others but these are the ones I know about. I met Volker Lehman in the late 80's while in the Peace Corps. Volker worked with a German development group and was focused on developing primarily wines and marmalade from cacao with these women groups connected to the larges cacao cooperative in the county. It partially developed into some of what certified them as fair-trade. This support structure does not exist today and these groups mostly operate sola.

The wine in made by fermenting roasted cacao nibs. A few years back I did a tasting comparison with a group of people with cacao wine from about 5 of these women groups. The difference in quality was very stark with the biggest problem is some turn too much into vinegar. The women in Hato Mayor had the best product from out tasting where there was a nice cacao aroma to the wine. The strength and sweetness varied considerably. The group of women further in from Altamira have a nice cacao wine and many other fruit and spice flavors. Very interesting to taste and if I remember, mango was my favorite.

I'm sure things have changed some in the last 6-7 years since I visited. I also started asking people around the campo and you would be surprised how many are making their own hooch. This is mostly made with either corn or cana. Some ferment for a month or two and others more a year or more. It seems to be sort of a Xmas tradition for those who make it.

In the outskirts of GH a friend of mine Ramon is an cacao exporter to Switserland. They have good cacao wine as well. Los chocolates no sirven though.

 

[cobraboy]

There are a number of groups of women around the country who make cacao wine. All are rural based and not in the cities. The group in Hato Mayor is a fairly long drive past the city. Never met the El Siebo group but there is one in Yamasa, Joba Arriba just outside of Gaspar Hernandez, two groups near Altamira, one near Los Naranjos outside of Castillo and another in Loma de Jaya outside of SFM. There may be others but these are the ones I know about. I met Volker Lehman in the late 80's while in the Peace Corps. Volker worked with a German development group and was focused on developing primarily wines and marmalade from cacao with these women groups connected to the larges cacao cooperative in the county. It partially developed into some of what certified them as fair-trade. This support structure does not exist today and these groups mostly operate sola.

The wine in made by fermenting roasted cacao nibs. A few years back I did a tasting comparison with a group of people with cacao wine from about 5 of these women groups. The difference in quality was very stark with the biggest problem is some turn too much into vinegar. The women in Hato Mayor had the best product from out tasting where there was a nice cacao aroma to the wine. The strength and sweetness varied considerably. The group of women further in from Altamira have a nice cacao wine and many other fruit and spice flavors. Very interesting to taste and if I remember, mango was my favorite.

I'm sure things have changed some in the last 6-7 years since I visited. I also started asking people around the campo and you would be surprised how many are making their own hooch. This is mostly made with either corn or cana. Some ferment for a month or two and others more a year or more. It seems to be sort of a Xmas tradition for those who make it.

Great post.

The wine we bought was from Hato Mayor. They offer a sip after the Cacoa tour sponsored by the local cacao cooperative, and interesting story. Their Cacao tour is fascinating!

 

[Tom F.]

In the outskirts of GH a friend of mine Ramon is an cacao exporter to Switserland. They have good cacao wine as well. Los chocolates no sirven though.

To have good chocolate, the post harvest processing needs to be tight with high quality control standards. About 1/2 of the cacao is not fermented in the country and very little is done by the typical farmer. The better to good cacao is purchased wet from the farmer and fermented and dried by a cooperative or private company. If you make chocolate from unfermented cacao, it will be very bitter. Dominicans tend to me these small football shaped (American football) that they grate into either milk or with oatmeal with lots of sugar. There are supposed to be more antioxidants from unfermented cacao but I will stick with the fermented stuff.

 

[Fulano2]

That must be it. I don’t like chocolate at all so my opinion had no value, but my wife who is fond of Toblerone and Belgian bonbons doesn’t like it. As you explained it is quite an art. Thanks, it didn’t know this.

 

[cobraboy]

If you call the Tour de Cacao at (8-two-9) 760 (dash) 1153 they may be able to arrange shipping of the wine around the country.

 

[cobraboy]

Small bit of info:

There are two types of cacao processed in the DR: Sanchez and Hispaniola, the difference being quality of the seed and processing.

Sanchez is the cheaper and vastly more prolific of the two. In general, it uses inferior beans, normal beans really, and is not fermented. It is used in cosmetics ("cocoa butter") with far greater demand than chocolate.

Hispaniola is superior beans, almost freaks, and is fermented for production into chocolate.

Both are just dried and shipped in 150lb. bags which, I might add, are hauled around and stacked by hand, not machines. There are some seriously strong dudes working in Cacao processors. Watching a little guy with zero body fat repeatedly carry a 150lb. bag of cacao on his head up a ladder is an impressive sight. I'm sure OSHA bureaucrats would approve.

80% of the cacao crop is Sanchez and is used in cosmetics.

 

[Fulano2]

I have been at the granja and most (around 50) are Haitians. Hard labour indeed.